Bruges Trains Staff in Kindness: Alderman Marchal Supports 3,000 Dementia Patients

Bruges (Eurotoday): Bruges, aiming to be dementia-friendly, created training videos for hospitality staff, emphasizing respectful interactions. Alderman Pieter Marchal highlights the importance of small changes for the 3.000 residents with dementia.

The city of Bruges has made short, 1-minute training videos to help catering staff serve customers with dementia in a kind and respectful way. One video shows a man trying to pay a 3.50 euro bill but mistakenly giving three 50 euro notes. The waiter notices the mistake and politely takes one 50-euro note, saying, “I’ll be right back with your change.” This helps avoid embarrassing the customer while making sure the payment is correct. The video highlights the importance of treating customers with dignity in sensitive situations.

How is Bruges supporting dementia-friendly training for hospitality staff?

In another video, a customer gets lost while looking for the restroom. The waiter notices and quietly helps by guiding the customer in the right direction without making it obvious. This shows how important it is to use body language and clear words to assist customers with dementia. The training videos aim to teach staff how to create a friendly and supportive place for all guests, encouraging kindness and understanding in the hospitality industry.

Bruges is working to become a dementia-friendly city, especially in restaurants and cafes. Alderman Pieter Marchal says visits can be tough for people with dementia, so they created training videos to help staff understand how to support these customers. Small changes can make a big difference without much extra effort. There are about 3,000 people with dementia in Bruges now, and that number is expected to rise.


Comments

5 responses to “Bruges Trains Staff in Kindness: Alderman Marchal Supports 3,000 Dementia Patients”

  1. Ah, Bruges—where they’ve swapped the chocolate for kindness training videos, proving that even the most befuddled customers can be treated like royalty, as long as the staff don’t accidentally hand back the wrong change while cooing in gentle Belgian tones; it’s all in a day’s work for Alderman Marchal and his merry band of dementia-friendly hospitality warriors!

  2. Bazooka Har-de-har Avatar
    Bazooka Har-de-har

    Ah, Bruges, where kindness is now a mandatory training module for hospitality staff—because clearly, the real challenge of serving a hot chocolate to someone with dementia is just too much for the average waiter without a one-minute crash course, right?

  3. marigold loot Avatar
    marigold loot

    Ah, Bruges, where the canals are picturesque and the hospitality staff are now moonlighting as dementia whisperers—who knew that a €3.50 bill could turn into a masterclass in kindness, proving once again that here, even our training videos are more cultured than your average soap opera!

  4. Spider Fuji Avatar
    Spider Fuji

    Ah, Bruges, where they’re training staff in kindness as if it’s a revolutionary concept, because nothing says “welcome to our charming city” quite like a waiter who can tactfully handle a 50-euro mix-up while guiding a lost soul to the loo—what a novel idea, maybe next they’ll teach them how to smile!

  5. Ah, Bruges—where they’ve decided that kindness training for hospitality staff is the answer to dementia care, because a one-minute video is obviously the magical elixir that will turn your average waiter into a veritable Florence Nightingale, all while navigating the complexities of a three-euro-fifty tab without breaking a sweat or a dignity!

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